Safety issue at Calvert Cliffs could spur additional oversight

By Liz F. Kay, The Baltimore Sun

3:51 p.m. EDT , June 15, 2010

Federal regulators investigating an automatic plant shutdown in February of the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant have found a safety issue deemed of low to moderate significance that may spur additional oversight.

Both reactors at the Lusby plant, owned by Constellation Energy Nuclear Group, shut down after an electrical malfunction caused by melting snow on a leaky roof prompted first one then a second reactor to shut down, a company spokesman said at the time.

Inspectors for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said they found some equipment at the plant had been used longer than the manufacturer recommended, without tests to determine whether it was still reliable, according to an NRC spokesman.

Dave Fitz, a spokesman for Constellation Energy Nuclear Group, said company officials were reviewing the findings.

“We’ve taken some immediate corrective actions and some long-term actions are planned,” he said.

NRC inspectors will finish its assessment within 90 days, and Constellation can either request a conference or provide additional information in writing. If the safety concern finding is finalized, then the NRC would provide additional oversight until the problems have been addressed.

The company has not yet determined whether to challenge the NRC’s findings, Fitz said.

Hoyer expects action on reactor

Optimistic about loan guarantees at tele-town hall

Friday, May 28, 2010

By JEFF NEWMAN

Staff writer

U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said during a telephone town hall Monday night that he believes federal action on a proposed third reactor at the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Lusby is imminent, a potential harbinger of loan guarantees Constellation Energy has said are imperative to the project’s viability.

The reactor was selected a year ago as one of four eligible for $18.5 billion in U.S. Department of Energy loan guarantees, which serve as insurance for private investors.

In February, about $8 billion in federal loan guarantees was allocated for a new nuclear power plant in Georgia and $2 billion in guarantees were given last week to Areva, a French nuclear-power company and manufacturer of the proposed third reactor, for a uranium enrichment facility in Idaho. The Obama administration is trying to get another $9 billion for the loan guarantee program.

“I think we’re going to see some very positive” movements from the Obama administration in the next few weeks, Hoyer (D-Md., 5th) said, adding that the reactor’s construction, which is expected to create 4,000 jobs, will be very welcome in Southern Maryland. “I’m very supportive of that, and I think we absolutely have to move forward with that.”

The teleconference, the fifth held by Hoyer since 2007, allowed citizens to listen in and also submit questions to the congressman, who encouraged those who didn’t have their inquiries answered to either leave a message afterwards or send his office an e-mail. Hoyer also held a traditional town hall on health care last September.

“Our ongoing dialogue is critical to me and my ongoing representation of this district,” he said.

While the telephone town halls allow thousands to participate compared to the hundreds that may attend at a conventional venue, they have also drawn criticism for limiting personal interaction and allowing calls to be screened.

In opening remarks, Hoyer focused on the economy, particularly job creation and financial reform. Goals include cracking down on the “reckless behavior” of Wall Street banks, cutting long-term deficits, tax credits for companies that hire new workers, preventing foreign outsourcing of jobs, and, in wake of the BP oil spill, investing in clean energy. A proposed reform bill will protect consumers, hold big banks accountable and ensure taxpayers are not on the hook for risky business, making “‘too big to fail’ a thing of the past,” Hoyer said.

Closer to home, the congressman ensured a caller from Brandywine that improvements to the intersection of Route 301 and Route 5, which Hoyer passes through on the way to work, are a priority.

“We waste a lot of gas, a lot of time and a lot of frayed nerves at that intersection,” Hoyer said, adding that the project’s first phase has already begun and its second phase is awaiting funding.

In total, Hoyer fielded 11 calls from his district with topics ranging from prescription medications to immigration reform. While he understands why Arizona recently enacted a new law requiring immigrants to carry proof of legal residency, Hoyer also believes it may be misguided, explaining, “A lot of people worry about big government. A lot of people worry about a national ID card.”

The congressman even took a few moments to talk about football at the University of Maryland, his alma mater, with a caller from New Carrollton.

Hoyer told a concerned caller from Waldorf that there were no plans to cut her social security payments and another from Deale that Congress would consider this week a bill giving substantial assistance to states for Medicaid.

He voiced support for free enterprise, citing China’s movement towards free markets as evidence of communism’s failure and stated that “Investing in the education of our children is the most important investment we can make in the future of America.”

Do we really want $9 billion in nuclear reactor loan guarantees slipped into an emergency military appropriations bill?

We need to act to stop this from happening.

A deal has been reached between the Obama Administration and Congress to sneak through loan guarantees for three new reactors to be built — one at Calvert Cliffs, Maryland, just forty miles from our nation’s capital, and two more in South Texas, on the Gulf of Mexico.

As the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe continues to show us that even the most advanced technologies have their failures, we ask that you join us in contacting Congress —and especially the House Appropriations Committee, chaired by Rep. David Obey (D-WI)— to stop these guarantees.

At a time like this, when our Earth is so deeply threatened, we must do all we can to protect her. Please reach out to Congress today — it’s quick and easy to do using the link below provided by our friends at NIRS.

Thank you so much for your help…

Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt and Graham Nash

YOUR ACTIONS NOW CAN STOP $9 BILLION IN NEW NUCLEAR REACTOR LOANS!

May 26, 2010

Dear Friends,

The Obama Administration is attempting to get $9 billion more in loans for new nuclear reactor construction this week. They’re trying to sneak this money on to an emergency supplemental funding bill intended to provide funds for our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq and to provide additional disaster relief money.

But there is no emergency requiring new nuclear loans!

To try to appease clean energy advocates, the administration is tying the nuclear loans to loans for renewable energy projects–but these would amount to only about $1 billion in loans and renewable energy projects have barely begun to tap their existing loan authority. Unlike for nuclear projects, which are extraordinarily expensive, there is currently plenty of money available for renewables loans.

The House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to meet at 5 pm Thursday, May 27, to consider this bill. Your actions can stop this unnecessary nuclear bailout. Please send a letter to your Representative here–the more controversial we can make this sleazy deal the more likely we can stop it. And if your Representative is on the House Appropriations Committee (list below), please also call your Rep at 202-224-3121 and urge him/her to stop nuclear loans.

Here is some more background:

Earlier this year, the Department of Energy awarded $8.3 billion in loan “guarantees” to Southern Company to help build two new nuclear reactors in Georgia (Southern Co. has not yet accepted this “guarantee” however). It soon became clear that this was not just a guarantee–it, and apparently all “guarantees” for new reactors–are direct loans from the U.S. Treasury, with the money coming from the little-known Federal Financing Bank.

That left DOE with $10.2 billion to give out for other new reactor projects. This is money that was approved by Congress back in 2007. Because new reactor construction cost estimates have soared in recent years, DOE realized that $10.2 billion would only cover one more new project, and they want to give out more money for new reactors. So the Administration has proposed tripling the money for the nuclear loan program to $54.5 Billion, beginning in the next fiscal year. As you know, we have been fighting that proposal for months.

But next year is not soon enough for DOE–so now it’s trying to get $9 billion of that money now so they can give loans for two new reactor projects in the next few weeks. Of course, no reactor project (the most likely to receive the loans are Calvert Cliffs, MD and South Texas) will even receive a license from the NRC for at least another two years. And the utilities can’t actually get any loans until after they receive a license. No emergency here, except the DOE’s desire to score points with the nuclear power industry.

Stopping this $9 billion deal would send two clear messages: 1) emergency funding bills should not be used for non-emergency pet projects, especially not dirty and dangerous new nuclear reactors. It is obscene to even attempt to put these loans on an emergency bill like this; 2) not only is the $9 billion unacceptable, so is the full $54.5 billion the administration wants next year!

Please send an e-mail to your Representative now. And, if your Rep is on the House Appropriations Committee (list below), then also call your Rep at 202-224-3121 and urge him/her to oppose any new taxpayer funding for new nuclear reactors. This is a winnable fight if we all act now.

And please consider supporting our continuing campaign to end taxpayer funding of nuclear power. Your contributions are what enable us to do this work. You not only receive our eternal gratitude, but you get that warm feeling of knowing your donations are making a real difference!

Contents

Overview

The plant, owned and operated by Constellation Energy, has two 2700 megawatt thermal (MWth) Combustion Engineering Generation II, two loop pressurized water reactors. Each generating plant (CCNPP 1&2) produces approximately 850 megawatt electrical (MWe) net or 900 MWe gross. Each plant’s electrical load consumes approximately 50 MWe. These are saturated steam plants (non-superheated) and are approximately 33% efficient (ratio of 900 MWe gross/2700 MWth core). Only the exhaust of the single High Pressure Main Turbine is slightly superheated by a two stage reheater before delivering the superheated steam in parallel to the three Low Pressure Turbines. Unit 1 uses a General Electric designed main turbine and generator, while Unit 2 uses a Westinghouse designed main turbine and generator.[1] The heat produced by the reactor is returned to the bay, which operates as a cooling heat-sink for the plant.

Unit 1 went into commercial service in 1975 and Unit 2 in 1977.[1] The total cost of the two units was approximately 766 million USD.[citation needed]

Unit 1 had its two steam generators replaced in 2002 and its reactor vessel closure head replaced in 2006, while unit 2 had its two steam generators replaced in 2003, and its vessel closure head replaced in 2007.[citation needed]

The water around the plant (see lower-right-center of photograph) is a very popular place for anglers. Unit 1 & 2 each takes in bay water (from the fenced-in area) to cool its steam driven turbine condensers plus other bay water cooled primary and secondary system heat exchangers. The bay water is pumped out at a nominal flow rate of 1.2 million gallons per minute (75,000 L/s) per unit (Unit 1 and 2) for each steam turbine condenser. The water is returned to the bay no more than 12 °F (6.7 °C) warmer than the bay water. Unlike many other nuclear power plants, Calvert Cliffs did not have to utilize water cooling towers to return the hot water to its original temperature. The warmer water encourages faster growth (relative to the surrounding area) of the small shellfish, plankton, and others at the base of the food chain. These attract the larger fish which are in turn sought after by the anglers. As the water comes out very quickly and creates a sort of artificial rip current, it can be a dangerous place to fish. CCNPP 3 will only need about 10% of the bay cooling water volume needed for Unit 1 and 2 combined. The increase in fish and shellfish impingement and entrainment will be less than 3.5% over Unit 1 and 2 existing conditions.[citation needed]

In February 2009, Calvert Cliffs set a world record for Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) by operating 692 days non-stop.[2] (US-EPR), Generation III+[3] In addition, Unit 2’s capacity factor in 2008 was a world-record high of 101.37 percent.[4]

2000 renewal of operating license

In 2000, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission extended the license of the plant for 20 additional years, making Calvert Cliffs the first nuclear plant in the United States to receive such an extension. President George W. Bush visited the plant in June 2005, the first time a president had visited a nuclear power plant in nearly two decades.[5]

Proposal to add a third reactor

UniStar Nuclear Energy announced it will probably build a new advanced US-Evolutionary Power Reactor (US-EPR) at this site. UniStar Nuclear Energy, a Delaware limited liability company, is jointly owned by Constellation Energy (CEG) and Électricité de France (EdF), a builder and supplier of nuclear power plants in Europe. This proposed single nuclear unit will produce approximately twice the energy of each individual existing plant. See Nuclear Power 2010 Program.

On July 13, 2007, UniStar Nuclear Energy filed a partial application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to review its plans to build a new nuclear power plant, Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant 3 (CCNPP 3) based on the AREVA U.S. Evolutionary Power Reactor[6] (US-EPR), Generation III+[3], four loop pressurized water reactor. The remainder of the license application was submitted to the NRC in March 2008. The NRC confirmed its acceptance for technical review in June 2008. The CCNPP 3 reactor will be rated at 4590 MW thermal/1710 MW electrical gross.[citation needed] Plant loads will be approximately 110 Mwe, thus the net generation is 1600 MWe. Plant thermal efficiency will be approximately 36% (ratio of 1710 MWe to 4590 MWth).[citation needed] A final decision by Constellation to start construction is expected by the end of 2009, paving the way for pre-construction activities.

This third reactor will help address the need for more baseload, generating power in the Mid-Atlantic region. The plant will be located south of the existing CCNPP 1&2 and will be set back from the shoreline. Although only a single unit, its power plant footprint will be almost 2 times the size of the twin units CCNPP 1&2. It will have a closed-loop cooling system using a single hybrid mechanical draft cooling tower. It will incorporate plume abatement (no visible water vapor plume). Units 1&2 use an open-cycle heat dissipation system (no cooling towers). Two thirds of the heat produced by the Unit 3 reactor will be released to the atmosphere via the cooling tower. This also is a saturated steam plant with a Main Steam Turbine (one high pressure turbine in tandem with three low pressure turbines) and a Main Generator design similar to Unit 1 & 2. ALSTOM will supply the Main Steam Turbine and Main Generator.

Units 1 and 2 and their support facilities use a well water system for their potable water supply. It consists of five wells that pump water from the second highest aquifer, the Aquia Aquifer, at the minus 400–500 foot below sea level elevation. The State of Maryland limits daily usage for these five wells to 450,000 gallons per day (gpd). Actual daily usage averages 225,000 gpd. Unlike units 1 and 2, Unit 3 will have a desalination plant to produce potable water using reverse osmosis. The desalination plant will produce up to 1,250,000 gallon of potable water per day for Unit 3 and supporting facilities with total dissolved solids (TDS) less than 400 parts per million (ppm). The source for the desalination plant will be the brackish bay water from the makeup supply to the circulating water system. The TDS for the brackish bay water runs 10,000-15,000 ppm. The potable water will be distributed as makeup water for the demineralized water system, miscellaneous potable water services, fire protection and source water for the four ultimate heatsink cooling towers used during normal shutdown and power operation.

On November 13, 2007, UniStar Nuclear Energy filed an application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity with the Maryland Public Service Commission for authority to construct CCNPP 3. This application is being considered in Case Number 9127.[7]

Opponents and supporters of the proposed third reactor at Calvert Cliffs have been involved in a series of public hearings before officials of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In March 2009, Bill Peil of southern Calvert County asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to deny an emissions permit for the reactor due to health and safety concerns he maintains the plant poses to the community. UniStar Nuclear Energy President and CEO George Vanderheyden urged the NRC to approve the air permit application.[8]